Difference between revisions of "Scorpius"

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{{questmon|Scorpius|Ranger|nemesis}} He carries [[the Longbow of Diana]] and the [[Bell of Opening]].
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{{questmon|Scorpius|Ranger|nemesis}} He guards the [[Bell of Opening]] and the Ranger's [[quest artifact]], [[the Longbow of Diana]].
  
His fighting strategy involves teleporting near you, using his sting attack to inflict [[sickness]] and dealing some damage along the way. After that, he will usually leave you one turn for you to attack him, and then teleport away. The damage he deals is moderate, but manageable - after teleporting away, he will usually leave you alone for long enough for you to recover from the damage. The main problem is his sting attack that may cause illness, and will kill you if you can't heal from it.
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Eating Scorpius's corpse is guaranteed to convey [[poison resistance]].
  
== Strategy ==
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==Generation==
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Scorpius will always generate atop his [[throne]] at the center of [[Ranger quest#The Cavern of Scorpius|his would-be castle]], where he sits meditating.
  
He is generally considered one of the easier quest nemeses to defeat.
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==Strategy==
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The damage Scorpius deals with his two claw attacks is moderate, but manageable - the true danger lies in his third attack, a [[sickness]]-inducing sting. An attentive Ranger with a blessed [[unicorn horn]] and other methods of curing sickness (e.g. [[eucalyptus leaf|eucalyptus leaves]] and potions of {{! of|extra healing|full healing|or=1}}) may find Scorpius among the easier quest nemeses to defeat.
  
It's a good idea to have a way to cure yourself from illness, either via healing [[potions]], [[spells]], or preferably, a [[unicorn horn]]. Alternatively, spend some time kicking trees in the upper filler level - each tree will give a bunch of fruits exactly once, and you might find some [[eucalyptus leaf|eucalyptus leaves]].
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Scorpius moves at the same base speed as you - with fast speed or better, you should have a few openings to attack him before he can teleport away. A [[scroll of scare monster]] on the up [[stair]] is an excellent defensive measure, as he lacks any sort of ranged or spellcasting attack, and his pitiful 10 AC makes it very easy to finish him off. Another method is to maintain line-of-sight with the up stair as you approach Scorpius: you can then snipe at Scorpius using whatever [[missile]]s you have on hand (e.g., your [[bow]] and a stack of enchanted arrows) and scare him towards the up stair. As long as you maintain enough distance, continued fire should drop Scorpius in a matter of turns.
 
 
One way to defeat Scorpius is to play defensively, by dropping a [[scroll of scare monster]] and waiting for him to come after you, and then attack him when he teleports near you. As he lacks any sort of ranged or spellcasting attack, this renders him completely harmless.  His pitiful AC then makes it very easy to finish him off.
 
 
 
Another way to defeat Scorpius is to use range. Get far enough from the upstair so that you can just hit the upstair with your bow and your original +2 arrows. Wake and wound Scorpius remotely, by arrow, wand, thrown dagger, dart or other means. He will then teleport to the upstair. As long as you stay far enough away, Scorpius will not flee upstairs, and continued fire should easily defeat him.
 
  
 
{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|The scroll of scare monster on the ground no longer scares any [[unique]] monster.}}
 
{{upcoming|NetHack 3.7.0|The scroll of scare monster on the ground no longer scares any [[unique]] monster.}}
  
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
 
==Encyclopedia entry==
 
 
{{encyclopedia|
 
{{encyclopedia|
 
Since early times, the Scorpion has represented death, darkness,
 
Since early times, the Scorpion has represented death, darkness,
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|[ 365 Starry Nights, by Chet Raymo ]
 
|[ 365 Starry Nights, by Chet Raymo ]
 
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Revision as of 07:10, 4 October 2022

Scorpius, s, is the Ranger quest nemesis. He guards the Bell of Opening and the Ranger's quest artifact, the Longbow of Diana.

Eating Scorpius's corpse is guaranteed to convey poison resistance.

Generation

Scorpius will always generate atop his throne at the center of his would-be castle, where he sits meditating.

Strategy

The damage Scorpius deals with his two claw attacks is moderate, but manageable - the true danger lies in his third attack, a sickness-inducing sting. An attentive Ranger with a blessed unicorn horn and other methods of curing sickness (e.g. eucalyptus leaves and potions of extra healing or full healing) may find Scorpius among the easier quest nemeses to defeat.

Scorpius moves at the same base speed as you - with fast speed or better, you should have a few openings to attack him before he can teleport away. A scroll of scare monster on the up stair is an excellent defensive measure, as he lacks any sort of ranged or spellcasting attack, and his pitiful 10 AC makes it very easy to finish him off. Another method is to maintain line-of-sight with the up stair as you approach Scorpius: you can then snipe at Scorpius using whatever missiles you have on hand (e.g., your bow and a stack of enchanted arrows) and scare him towards the up stair. As long as you maintain enough distance, continued fire should drop Scorpius in a matter of turns.

The following information pertains to an upcoming version (NetHack 3.7.0). If this version is now released, please verify that it is still accurate, then update the page to incorporate this information.

The scroll of scare monster on the ground no longer scares any unique monster.

Encyclopedia entry

Since early times, the Scorpion has represented death, darkness,
and evil. Scorpius is the reputed slayer of Orion the Hunter.
[...] The gods put both scorpion and hunter among the stars, but
on opposite sides of the sky so they would never fight again.
As Scorpius rises in the east, Orion sets in the west.

[ 365 Starry Nights, by Chet Raymo ]